The NFL postpones all games scheduled for this weekend. It seems appropriate.

At least some local high school and colleges appear ready to play today and Saturday. It can be argued this is just as appropriate.

There being no "right" or "wrong" in a situation as unprecedented as this one, it is entirely possible for opposite decisions to be equally proper, given the differing circumstances.

There are a number of reasons to applaud the NFL's decision.

Most clearly, there is no way to imagine it would be fair to ask teams in New York and Washington to resume play while their neighbors remain unaccounted for in the nearby rubble.

But there is far more to it than that.

With an uncounted number of Americans still stranded because of the shutout of the nation's air travel, would it really be proper for airline resources to be tied up with something as non-essential as charter flights to sporting events?

It would be ill-advised, to say the least, if those flights kept even the smallest number of those travelers from returning home to the loved ones they long to rejoin.

And there are legitimate security concerns. A week's delay will not address most of those, except, perhaps, to avoid adding to the workload of police agencies heavily involved in the response to and investigation of attacks.

The emotional aspects of the NFL's absence are not quite as clear-cut. There are those who feel the games could provide a release, an outlet, a relief from the unrelenting grimness of the week's events. And their point is certainly valid.

But at the same time, NFL games have an element of carnival to them, with tailgaters, cheerleaders, boisterous, face-painted fans (a potential casualty of the new security landscape) and those gathering for parties at homes and various watering holes.

It is hard to imagine that anyone would consider those things appropriate right now. And without them, it would not be the "return to normalcy" some are seeking.

NFL players have also clearly voiced their preference not to play. Who can blame them? How can their job feel important? Why would they want to explain to their children why they have to fly somewhere just to play a game?

To force them to do play when their conscience tells them otherwise, to satisfy our need to be entertained or distracted, is to value one group's emotional response over another's. One of the many lessons of this week is that each of us responds to tragedy in our own way, and those various reactions should be respected.

This is also the reason no local high school, college or junior college should be criticized for its decisions to play or not to play today or Saturday. The arguments against playing having been stated here and elsewhere this week, it is probably worthwhile to consider some of the reasoning in favor of taking the field.

Two of the biggest arguments against playing the national-level contests -- travel and security -- do not exist for the high schools and small colleges.

There are no airplanes to fill and no huge televised gatherings that might attract the attention either of terrorists or the very sick people who have been making false threats across the country.

There's also a huge difference between playing games that are a business, and playing games that are just games.

High school events are much more of a family activity, and anything that brings and keeps families and communities together has an extra value this week.

My sense, after visiting a number of high schools this week, is that most athletes want to play, be it as a refuge from events or an effort to find some solace in doing what they love.

If not wanting to play is one reason to support the NFL's decision, then wanting to do so is one reason to support the high school players.

There will be no perfect time to resume sports events, no single moment when everyone will agree the games should return.

That being the case, we should simply respect each decision on its own merits, rather than continue to debate what is, ultimately, such a small part of the events with which we are all struggling to cope.

-- Star columnist David Lassen can be reached at 496-8158 or lassen@insidevc.com.